Dear D105 Parents,

As winter approaches, I thought I would share some details on how we prepare for making inclement weather decisions. 

Calling a remote learning day or canceling school for a traditional snow day is always a last resort.  It is our intention to have students learning in-person unless the weather makes it unsafe to do so. The decision to either cancel school for a traditional snow/weather day or use a remote learning day will be made at the time it is deemed unsafe to come to school. My goal is always to make this decision by 9:00 p.m. the evening prior to moving to remote or canceling school. However, due to the timing of a significant weather related event, it might be necessary to wait until early morning. 

We seek to make decisions that are safe and educationally sound. Several factors considered when making this decision are:

• safety and well-being of students and staff
• availability of power, internet and overall operable condition of our buildings
• predictability of the weather
• timing of the weather events including time for staff to plan meaningful lessons and preparedness for students to learn remotely (if remote day is called)
• severity of the weather (extreme cold, excessive snow, flooding, etc.)
• ability of buses and cars to travel safely

Should the District cancel school due to inclement weather, please do keep in mind that our 2024-2025 school calendar has a built-in emergency weather make-up day on Monday, February 17, 2025, President’s Day. If a traditional inclement weather/snow day is called prior to this date, this gives us the option of scheduling the in-person make-up day on February 17, 2025.

If a remote learning  day is implemented, we will most likely utilize a late start schedule (9:15 for elementary and 9:00 for Gurrie). This allows teachers to adjust lesson plans to best support a remote learning environment. If a remote learning day is implemented due to snowfall and temperatures are not predicted to be too cold, staff will consider incorporating some optional outdoor learning/fun activities. 

In some cases, due to transportation or other needs, we might call for a late start to in-person learning. If this is the case, the timing of bus routes and the start of the school day will be communicated. 

Making the Decision
When determining if conditions at our schools warrant the cancellation of school or the need to implement our remote learning plan, I work in collaboration with:

• the Board of Education
• district staff
• other area superintendents, local village departments
• the bus service provider 

Since we have many families with students also enrolled in LTHS, we seek to be consistent to create the least amount of family disruption.  This may not always occur, but please be assured it is a priority in our deliberations.

When in-person school is canceled, all after-school activities, student events, athletic events and practices, and field trips will be canceled unless specifically announced by the school principal.

Notification About Closure
In the event of a school closing or other emergency, parents and staff can expect to receive an automated phone call, email, and/or text via ParentSquare.  Emergency closing information is also available on:

• The District and school websites
• The District’s Facebook and Twitter accounts
• The Emergency Closings Center

https://www.emergencyclosingcenter.com

Sincerely,

Brian J. Ganan